Nothing Remains
by Entirely Torn
Summary: 'One-hundred and seventy-three years,' she whispered, her voice thick and husky, the despair in her eyes frantic and frenzied. 'He promised me eternity, Elijah, why did it only last this long' - After Klaus has left her for his hybrids again, Caroline finds herself at Elijah's, hoping for the soothing words he always seems to be able to provide her. Klaroline/Carlijah
1. Do not break me

**Thank you for checking this out. The cover is not mine, I found it on tumblr. The "_hurt me as you please / but do not ever leave_" actually is mine. I mean I came up with that in one of my poems and now I use it for this.**

**It says "in progress", I know, but I'm unsure if I will actually continue this. Depends on the inspiration and on the reviews. **

**Also, if you'd like to see any kind of drabble, either PM me or contact me on tumblr - infinityklaroline**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, but if I did, I would definitely let Klaus kill Hayley and her baby. **

**Angst, Klaroline, Carlijah, AU.**

* * *

**Nothing Remains**

* * *

_hurt me as you please  
but do not ever leave_

* * *

Niklaus Mikaelson had the unfortunate ability not to appreciate what he had.

Caroline Forbes had the unfortunate ability never to be good enough.

So when they got together, Elijah had known that it would end wrong. Her insecurities and his cravings for what was out of his reach would get the best of them eventually, and so he made it his task to be there for both of them, his intentions pure. He had seen his brother in every emotion possible, all but one. Love.

And now, the blond-haired vampire had brought that warmth in his eyes. And that was something Elijah was willing to protect. So that was how he became close to the wonderful, bright Caroline. And that was how he slowly got intoxicated by her bubbly beauty and her blinding light. He adored her.

It was hard to be in the middle of their relationship. Niklaus was good to her, the first century and a half. After that, he grew more and more tired of her and focused on his hybrids instead, searching for new ways to create them without the need of a doppelganger.

His feelings for her only grew stronger as the day he had feared for so long came by. Caroline - only wearing pajamas - cried, murmuring things as that she was never good enough and that it had been a mistake to promise eternity to Klaus, as he had already grown tired of her within the first two centuries. And the worst of all was that Elijah did not know what to do.

'One-hundred and seventy-three years,' she whispered, her voice thick and husky, the despair in her eyes frantic and frenzied. 'He promised me eternity, Elijah, why did it only last this long?'

'My brother, Caroline, has the unfortunate ability not to appreciate what he has,' the brown-haired Original stated, repeating the words he had thought by himself so long ago. 'He tends to always want what is just out of his reach.' He shook his head softly as he pulled the crying girl towards him, letting her wet his suit as she cried silently against him. 'A while ago, you were. But now he has you. And, much to both our distress, he is not familiar with keeping one satisfied with love for a long time.'

_He is not familiar with love at all, my beloved Caroline, _he added silently.

'Does he even care about me?' she asked in a small voice.

Something broke in Elijah when she asked him that question, her insecurities - the ones Elijah had seen so many times the past decades - once again bubbling up to the surface. How could his brother hurt such an innocent creature like Caroline? How could he even tend to leave her all alone as he was in search for new ways to create his beloved hybrids if that meant losing _her_? He knew he wouldn't. He would never do that to her.

'I promise you, he does,' he reassured her as he soothed her by rubbing her back in circles. 'Niklaus may not be able to show it to you, and he might not be romantic or such, but he does care for you. He just has no way of showing it.'

He knew he could never satisfy her with whatever answer he could give to her questions. More would come, and with his answers, again more would pop up in that bright, bubbly mind of hers and most of them would be questions of which the answer was just as much of a mystery to her as to him. He could never provide enough clarification to make her feel good and he hated himself for it just as much as he despised his brother for doing that to her.

'Why isn't he more like you?' she suddenly asked, her face still hidden against his chest. Her voice was broken, filled with tears and sobs and heartbreak in which Elijah engulfed himself every mere second he spent with her.

'If Niklaus was more like me, you wouldn't have liked him, Caroline,' he said, stroking her hair as he sat down, pulling her on his lap. She looked up to him, eyes ocean-blue, skin ivory-colored. It took him a while to notice her puffy eyes and red nose, as if he had been blinded by her beauty.

Maybe he was.

'Why?'

'You once told me that yourself, dear.' He couldn't help but chuckle. 'I recall you saying - and I quote - that you "might have fallen for his good side, but now are in love with his dark side just as much". I do not have such dark desires as he has, Caroline. I am not one to be consumed by darkness.'

'Are you?' she asked skeptically. 'Is there nothing you'd want so much that you would kill for it? That you would neglect, hurt, destroy and hate for in order to get that one thing?'

'That would bring such a little happiness when you'd have it, wouldn't it?' was his simple response. 'With the knowledge that you have hurt people, that you have destroyed such happiness in the process, would you be able to actually enjoy what you've gotten in your possession?'

Caroline took the time to think about that, resting her head against his chest once again.

'I wouldn't, no,' she said quietly after a long pause. 'Not for long. But would _you_?'

Elijah shook his head, looking at the blonde vampire in his arms. Would he hurt for her? Hurt people in order to get her? Destroy anything on his way only for her? It frightened him that deep in his heart, his answer was yes.

Yes, he would.

'Sometimes, the right thing is not quite the right thing to do, I suppose.' He stroked her hair lightly as she looked up to him in confusion. 'In this whole word there are two things that I would kill for. Only two things.'

The look in her eyes said enough. She didn't have to say it out loud.

His demeanor softened, the look in his eyes loving and caring as he raised his hand to cup her cheek. 'Family above all, of course,' he said. 'And for _you, _my beloved Caroline.'

The second part, she had not expected. Or maybe, she had. She didn't know. Confusion washed over her like tidal waves and she knew nothing to say nor do else than to look at him in utter surprise.

The next surprise would've definitely knocked her from his lap, if he hadn't put his arms around her as he pushed his lips to hers lightly. It was tender and loving and _oh so wrong_, but somehow it didn't come up in her mind to stop him.

And so she kissed him back. Not because she felt more for him than for Klaus, but because of the love he showed her - love and affection, something she hadn't gotten from her beloved Niklaus in a long time.

As the realization hit her that this was Elijah - as in _Elijah_, her best friend and brother, the one she trusted more than anyone - she pulled back with a gasp. Why hadn't she stopped him earlier? Why - _why, for god's sake - _had she kissed him back?

'What w-?'

'I'm so-'

She gestured for him to continue, unsure if she wanted to hear what he had to say about.. well, about _that_.

'I'm sorry, Caroline. I should not have done that. You and Niklaus... I am genuinely sorry.' He shook his head in disappointment, but Caroline couldn't make up if that was because she pulled away, or because the fact that he let himself go like that.

'Elijah,' she murmured softly, searching his eyes for answers. 'Do you feel something for me?'

The brown-haired Mikaelson sighed, avoiding her piercing gaze as he tried to make up his mind. 'That is none of your concern, dear. You came here to talk about Niklaus.'

'Actually, it became my concern the moment you _kissed me_, Elijah.'

Oh, how did he love the way she was not afraid of anything. She was feisty, full of fire. She was a flame, dancing and burning with utter desire.

It hurt to see how she stuck with Niklaus after all he'd done to her.

Not that he thought his brother didn't deserve her - no, he had not seen Niklaus that happy, that bright in a thousand years. He thanked Caroline for that every hour of the day.

But he couldn't help but want her. He couldn't help but want to court her right, to love her like she deserved.

However, he knew he couldn't. And he knew he could never keep her satisfied for that long. He was boring. He wasn't dark nor intriguing like his brother. He wasn't right for Caroline and at the same time he was.

He could be.

She was still looking at him impatiently, eyebrows raised.

'I might have,' he said vaguely. 'But there's no need to worry about that, Caroline. It would only make things complicated for you.'

'It already is complicated!' she exclaimed, jumping from his lap in the process and pacing through the room as she let out a deep sigh. 'Why don't you understand that it already is complicated? Nik doesn't seem to love me, only interested in his hybrids and his witches. And now _you_. Admitting my feelings for him was enough complication for at least half a millennium, Elijah. But now...'

She rambled on and on and all Elijah could do was admire the way she looked. Those long legs, her blond curls muffled, her eyes big and full of fire and _confusion, _her pajama hugging her slim body so deliciously...

'Are you even listening to me?' His head shot up as he heard her words, his gaze locked in hers.

'I'm sorry,' he said, his voice trembling. 'I must say I was not paying attention, no.' Caroline's brows furrowed at the sound of that - she had never heard his voice being other than calm and... Elijah. There was no other way to put it. His voice was his trademark, and trembling didn't seem to be part of his vocabulary.

At that very moment, Klaus walked in, cheeks flushed with red, anger in his eyes. 'Caroline,' he said calmly, a frightening contrast to his frenzied look. 'I figured you'd be here, sweetheart. It's the middle of the night, why aren't you in _our _house?'

'I... I had to talk to Elijah.' She couldn't look at him. Not after what he had done to her and not after what she had done with Elijah. So she avoided his gaze, finding the red carpet amazingly interesting all of a sudden.

'In your pajamas?' he asked skeptically as he eyed the two of them suspiciously. 'What exactly is going on here.' As he came closer, he noticed the red outlines of Caroline's eyes. 'Have you been crying?'

She pulled away from him, wiping her eyes as she walked towards the door. 'As if you care,' she said, her hand reaching for the doorknob.

He sped to her, pushing her against the wall, his mouth close to her ear. Hot breath fanned over her shell as he spoke huskily. 'Is my love not enough, Caroline?' he asked. 'Are you unhappy with what I give you?'

That, was Caroline's breaking point. She was done, oh she was so done. 'And what exactly do you give me, Klaus?' she yelled, pushing him off of her. Her words made him step back even more. 'Do you give me the chance to sit at home while all you do is care about your _hybrids_? Do you give me the opportunity to drown in self-pity as you once again don't spend a minute with me, when you can't even _look _at me anymore like you once did?'

'Caroline,' he warned, his voice lowly. His eyes hardened, fire starting.

'No, Klaus. What you have given me is the horrible feeling of not being good enough. And to be fairly honest, that is not what I had hoped for when I took your offer. You promised me eternity. But I would've never chosen you if it meant an eternity of _not being good enough_.'

As if hit, he stepped back. Every word, every tear spend on him seemed to pierce right through his heart. But he couldn't show her. Mercy had never been his middle name, and in front of his brother he could not be merciful. Not towards anyone, not even towards her.

'Niklaus,' Elijah warned him, knowing exactly what was going on in his brother's head.

'Stop the nonsense, Elijah,' was the only thing he said. Because no matter how much it hurt him to do anything to her, he had to show her dominance. He often blamed it on being a wolf, but honestly, it was because he was _him_. With no dominance, no power, what did he have?

Right.

Nothing.

And so he found himself throwing her against the wall.

'Klaus, _please_,' she cried out, falling to her knees as she hit the brick wall. 'Don't do this. Don't do this.'

He walked up to her, eyes filled with frantic rage as he watched her attempts to get up as quickly as possible. She was _frightened-_no, she was horrified.

And he _liked _it.


	2. Do not hurt me

**A/N: So here we go again. Nothing Remains will have one more chapter after this. So I guess you'll just have to stick with me if you want to know how this is going to end.**

**One of the biggest thank yous _ever_ goes to my beloved Emma a.k.a Psyc0Gurl0, she's like the most supportive, amazing person walking on this earth and she has helped me so, so much with this - you wouldn't even know. Also, her story Parisian Brothel is one you should definitely check out, it contains both mushy and dark Klaus and I have fallen in love with it already.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, but if I did, I would definitely let Klaus kill Hayley and her baby. / The italic "poem"-ish thingy actually IS mine, so don't you dare to steal it for whatever wicked reason because I will hunt you down. **

**Angst, Klaroline, Carlijah, AU.**

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**2  
****Do not hurt me**

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_please don't hurt my  
fragile little heart  
it has been played with  
so many times before_

* * *

_Two hours earlier_

'It cannot be!' he screamed angrily, the glass that had been in his hand only moments before crushing to the wall. 'There is a way and you'll find it!'

He was furious - he was _more _than furious. This so called warlock - with his reputation saying he was "one of the best" and his ego saying he was the number one - would not get out here alive if he didn't search harder.

If this piece of shit did not succeed he would not succeed in anything else in life. He would be way too dead to do so.

'Your coven is known for having the biggest collection of grimoires and for the sake of your life, you will not stop before you have the exact thing that will do the trick,' he demanded through clenched teeth, picking up a piece of the broken glass.

As he walked to him, he reached out is hand, letting the edge slip along the warlock's skin, not only drawing blood but also a pained hiss from the man who had been so cocky only moments before.

'Remember, your kind are nothing but slaves to us, Terrence.' The tone of his voice was soft, a devilish smile spreading on his face as he traced bloody patterns across his victim's collarbone. 'And if you don't succeed, my dear friend, I will hunt every last bit of your shattered family down and _kill _them, including that little sister of yours.' He licked his lips as he stared at the wall behind the man.

'Amy, if my memory serves me?'

The way Terrence's jaw clenched and the silence that followed was enough of an agreement to him.

'She's a delicious little thing, isn't she? Maybe I'll allow her a little pleasure before I kill her.'

The warlock knew exactly what the original hybrid meant with _a little__ pleasure_.

'She's only fifteen,' he snapped angrily. The hybrid didn't bat an eyelash at his little tantrum.

'Fifteen, sixteen...' Klaus shoved his protests aside with a small gesture of his hand. 'They all lose their virginity around that age, don't they?'

The thing the toned man didn't know, was that he would _never _in his eternal life have anyone else than his sweet Caroline. He would never have anyone else than her because she was the only one who had stayed with him. Even in this time, with him being away so much, she didn't leave.

She never did.

But that was none of Terrence's concern, though. His only concern was finding that one spell that was powerful enough to let him make hybrids without the use of the -now rather useless- doppelganger. And if he didn't succeed, his family would pay the price.

'I will do whatever is in my power to find it,' he said defeated, letting out a small sigh.

Klaus sent him a smirk before walking towards the door. 'I knew you would, Terrence.'

The silence that followed as he opened the door was rudely interrupted by the sound of several shots that were fired. Glass shattering, Klaus turned around towards the sound in inhuman speed, assuming he was the target. He had enough enemies to believe so, didn't he?

But surprisingly, he wasn't - this time.

Because the only thing he found was the lifeless body of Terrence Athena, the only witch that could help him recreating hybrids without the blood of the doppelganger, laying at his feet. A hole in his head and two in the chest.

Dead as could be.

* * *

He didn't know what to do. His brother's tantrums were nowhere near foreign to him, he had put up with thousands of them in his everlasting lifetime. But he couldn't just give him the cold shoulder, could he now? Not now Caroline was involved.

Eyes wide in horror, he stared at what was encountering right in front of him, his stiffened body not giving in to the demands of his brain.

'Niklaus,' he warned. 'Leave the girl alone.'

'Do not tell me what to do, brother,' the blonde hybrid growled lowly as he walked around the girl as a predator circling his prey. 'She cannot talk to me like that. Not after everything I've given her.'

'You've given me nothing but misery, lately!' she dared to croak. 'Nothing but-'

'SHUT UP!'

She was smart this time. She actually kept quiet as she looked up to him, eyes filled with a strange, confusing mixture of what seemed to be both fright and fearlessness.

Her newfound intelligence faded quickly - she opened her mouth yet again.

'I wouldn't dare if I were you, sweetheart,' Klaus said calmly, looking down to her weak form from his standing position. 'You have managed yourself into a rather unpleasant and unfortunate situation.'

'We were having quite the good chat before you arrived, to be honest,' she murmured as she fought the urge to crawl away from him. 'This situation is mainly because you interrupted.'

Elijah quickly hid his surprise at her smooth lie. Well, he had considered it a lie. One would not call a kiss and the confusion after that "the good chat", would they?

He wasn't sure.

With Caroline, he was never sure.

'Well I'm sorry,' he said sarcastically, yanking her up by her arm so she had to face him. 'I apologize sincerely for looking for my _wife_ in the middle of the night when I found our bed empty.' The look in his eyes was frenzied, bruises in the form of his fingers forming under the tips of them as he emphasized the word "wife". He had called her that several times and somehow, it always seemed to arouse Caroline when he referred to her like that.

Not tonight, hybrid-boy.

Definitely not tonight.

'Well I'm sorry I wasn't in bed tonight, then,' was her simple reply, her attempts to free her arm failing. 'I'm very, _very_ sorry that I missed up on the only time we actually see each other, since you magically disappear before dawn only to return after the sun has set like nothing's wrong.'

Again, she was thrown against the wall. And again, she fell to the ground.

He hovered over her. 'You have no idea, Caroline,' he spat. 'You should be so _grateful_.'

Suddenly, faster than she could actually comprehend, he was gone.

_Elijah_, flashed through Klaus's mind as he was pushed away from the blond woman. His brother attacked him. His own brother dared to attack him in front of his girl.

'Not in my house, Niklaus,' he growled as he held his brother against the wall. 'And definitely not with _her_.'

The look in the brown-haired original's eyes didn't go unnoticed. There had been one other subject that made him look like that. One other _girl_, to be more precisely.

Katerina.

'You cannot,' he hissed at the unspoken words that lingered in Elijah's eyes. He pushed his brother off of him. 'This is not the doppelganger, Elijah!'

Caroline knew exactly what he meant. And it hurt.

Oh it hurt so bad.

She never wanted to be like Elena. She never wanted two brothers fighting over her. And she never wanted that one kiss to lead to this.

'I'm sorry, brother,' Elijah said softly, his demeanor softening as he looked at her as she stood up again. 'I never meant to.'

'She is _mine_,' he growled possessively as he walked over to her, pulling her behind him as if to protect.

It was an ironic contrast with the way he had treated her just minutes before.

'I'm not yours,' she said harshly, stepping away from him. 'You lost me the moment you threw me against that wall.'

'You choose him?' Klaus asked her, anger rising in him.

'I'm not choosing anyone!' she exclaimed, making a dramatic, confused gesture with her arms.

'You are,' he demanded as he walked to the door, obviously expecting her to follow him. 'You either come home with me or stay here.'

_Fuck. _Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

This wasn't supposed to happen at _all_.

How did she get into this mess? she asked herself angrily. When did she decided she wanted to become like the doppelgangers?

Two brothers were looking at her in utter silence, the tension thick in the air as they forced her to choose.

Her eyes shifted from Klaus - Klaus. The one who had shown her everything, who had loved her in her most horrible moments, the one who had promised her eternity and wanted to be her last. But also the one who had left her alone, who had always chosen his hybrids over her. Wasn't it time to choose for herself for once? - to Elijah.

Elijah. He had shown her nothing but kindness. For so long he had been her friend and brother-figure. He had protected her, soothed her, made her laugh. He had lifted her mood so many times. Could it be more? Could they actually be together? Could she settle for his calm stance? For his simple smile? Could she settle with him? Could she love him the way he loved her?

After what seemed to be years, she opened her mouth to give them an answer.

* * *

**I am not particularly happy with this, but I decided to post it anyways since I didn't want you guys to wait any longer. I would love to hear what you think about this and I will see you guys in a few days, when the third - and last - chapter will be posted. **

**Also, follow me on tumblr - infinityklaroline**


	3. I will always

**I will always**

* * *

_I love you  
and I will write it  
all over my body  
to show it_

* * *

_100 years later_

They never actually celebrated it. It wasn't worth celebrating if you lost someone else with the decision, she once said.

And he agreed.

So they never talked about it. The day had passed ninety-nine times, a hundred if you actually counted that particular day. And that meant that it had been a hundred years exactly since everything changed.

Wasn't a hundred years long enough to talk about? Wasn't it in the past now?

She didn't know.

His lips sucked at the skin of her neck, his arms crept around her waist from behind. 'What are you all torn up about?' he murmured, hot breath washing over her ear.

She shuddered at the sensation. 'It's been a hundred years.' _  
_

He held her closer as she leaned into his chest, his chin resting on her shoulder as he looked out of the window just like she did.

There was no doubting him anymore, nothing like it, even. Her mind flew back to that one particular day - the day where there _had _been doubt. And she had chosen him, knowing that she'd lost the other. But she couldn't live without him, could she?

He had shown her so much, had loved her with all he had and she could do nothing but love him back with all she had.

Because how could she leave him? He had done terrible things, he had done so much to hurt her and to scare her away...

But that was the most frightening thing of her undying love for him. She would always forgive him.

It scared her - she was absolutely _horrified_ about that fact. Because he could do _anything_ and she would still love him. He could kill whoever he wanted, by all means, he could even kill _her_ and she'd probably still love him.

And because of that one thing, she had left Elijah with a whispered apology as she had walked to him that night.

Klaus had learned his lesson, though. He was angry, at first, as for she had threatened to leave him, as for she had doubted, as for she had _hesitated_ too much for his liking.

But after that, he had never chosen his hybrids over her. He had never chosen anything over her.

He had thrown her against a wall and threatened her and he had _hurt_ her, but he had never done it again. He promised and she could do nothing but believe him.

The dark side of it all, was that she hadn't seen her former best friend ever since.

She didn't want to - her shame and guilt getting the best of her, she knew she could never face him again without falling apart. She'd hurt him that night, she'd rejected him and even though she knew he most likely already moved on, she couldn't face him after what she'd done.

Because the horrified look on his face when she walked to his brother after he had just _hurt_ her, thrown her against the wall and threatened her like she meant nothing to him - that look followed her into her dreams and nightmares.

'You know, he isn't mad at you, sweetheart,' Klaus murmured. 'You may have avoided him for a century, but I certainly didn't and he isn't mad nor does he feel betrayed or played by you. He knew very well that you wouldn't choose him over me.'

'I still hurt him, Nik,' she sighed. 'I let you throw me around like some puppet and hurt me and then I chose you.'

His grip tightened. He had apologized for it so many times - something he hadn't done before. Niklaus _never_ apologized. It was weak to do so, he claimed. You should never apologize for something you chose to do.

But after that night, he promised he would make time for her, and he _apologized_. Not for choosing his hybrids over her (he was still sternly claiming that that wasn't the case at all, he hadn't chosen them over her and so he would never apologize for that), but for _hurting_ her. With words and with actions, he had hurt her and he had been the cause of those tears to stream down her face and for that, he was sorry.

'I told you-'

'I know you didn't mean to,' she cut him off, placing her hand over his on her waist sweetly. 'And I'm not mad about that - I haven't been for like a century. But I know he was hurt when you did all of that to me, I know that he was angry at you for hurting me and he wanted to protect me and I chose _you_.

And I can't be sorry for that, because it will always be you.

But the thing I _can_ be sorry for, is for hurting him with my decision. I hurt him and I can't do anything about it.' _  
_

Klaus sighed as he kissed her shoulder gently. 'It's been over a century, love. He got over it, you should do too. Even _he_ thinks that.'

'You talked about this with him?' She turned around in his embrace, placing her hands on his chest as she raised her brows questioningly.

'He's my brother, of course I did.' He dared to _smirk_.

'Don't act like you and him have this incredible bond, because I know you daggered him at least _twice_ the last three centuries,' she warned him.

But she smiled. And he knew he could probably get her so far to face his brother and to get his friendship back. It may take a while - a _long_ while, if he thought about Caroline's stubbornness -, but he would succeed.

Because the friendship between his angel and his brother was something he clearly envied, but he also wanted her to have it. He wanted her to have someone to trust - someone who knew him as much as she did.

It was silent for a long while as he got lost in her eyes. His hand raised to cup her cheek, neither of them ever looking away.

'Do you ever regret it?' he asked suddenly, his voice soft and trembling.

There was no hesitation in her answer. 'Never.'

And then he kissed her.

* * *

**I know most of you already knew this was going to happen. I also know some of you wanted her to end up with Elijah. **

**She clearly didn't. **

**Well, if you want to hate on me or just tell me what you think of this, feel free to review. **


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